1/28/2015 - Senator Boxer Urges President to Continue Support for UN Population FundEarlier this week, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) along with 21 of her Senate colleagues sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to maintain support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
UNFPA, which promotes maternal and reproductive health, conducts major demographic surveys, and campaigns against fistula and female genital mutilation, supports programs in over 150 countries....

1/27/2015 - Marissa Alexander To Be Released from PrisonMarissa Alexander is expected to be released from prison today, where she spent the last three years of her life after firing a warning shot into the air to defend herself from her estranged and abusive husband....

1/27/2015 - Mormon Church Moves To Protect Gay RightsIn a rare news conference today, leaders of the Mormon Church said the Church is promising to support housing and job protections for the LGBT community in exchange for legal protections for believers who object to others' behavior.
According to the Associated Press, Church leaders are making an appeal for a "balanced approach" in the clash between gay rights and religious freedom.
It's not clear how much common ground Mormons will find with this new campaign, the Associated Press story continued....

1/23/2015 - #HeForShe Campaign Launches Pilot Effort Aimed at Institutional EqualityThe United Nations' gender equality campaign #HeForShe has launched a new program called IMPACT 10X10X10.
United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, together with UN Women Executive DirectorPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, introduced the one-year pilot effort aimed at encouraging corporations, universities, and governments to play an active role in enhancing women's empowerment and equality in Davos, Switzerland today at the World Economic Forum.
"Women need to be equal participants in our homes, societies, in our governments, and in our workplaces," Watson said.
First introduced in September, HeForShe is a solidarity movement that calls on men and boys to confront gender inequalities that face women and girls globally....

1/22/2015 - BREAKING: House to Vote on Abortion Coverage BanAfter they were forced to scrap plans for a 20-week abortion ban, House Republican leaders decided late last night to instead ram through a vote today on a different extreme anti-abortion bill.
House Republicans are now pushing HR 7, a bill promoted as a ban on federal funding of abortion that would actually prevent women from using their own money to purchase health insurance that includes abortion care....

1/22/2015 - House Cancels Abortion Ban After GOP Congresswomen Drop SupportHouse Republicans cancelled plans to vote on a 20-week ban on abortion after Republican Congresswomen removed their names publicly as co-sponsors of the bill.
The vote on the unconstitutional 20-week ban had originally been scheduled for today, the anniversary of Roe v....